


hurt/comfort

by romanticalgirl



Series: December Ficlets 2010 [3]
Category: Southland
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:17:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticalgirl/pseuds/romanticalgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted 12-29-10</p>
    </blockquote>





	hurt/comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 12-29-10

He doesn’t hear about it until the morning briefing, and it’s clear he’s the only one that thinks it’s news. Everyone else has been listening on scanners or watching on the television. Cooper’s too busy trying not to want another drink or another pill to worry about the rest of the world when he’s not on the beat. 

Benton claps him on the shoulder and tells him it sucks, and Everest tells him that she’s sure everything will come out just fine, and after about four other platitudes, he tunes in on the fucking Captain telling them that, with one of their own in a hostage situation, things are going to be a little different on the streets today.

Cooper looks around and sees what everyone else already knows and his stomach sinks to his feet. Fuck. Fucking Sherman. He listens to the briefing with half an ear, more than clear that he’s to stay as far from this as possible. He’s a loose cannon, and no one’s going to let him handle this, even though he knows Sherman better than anyone else on the force, and he’s dealt with this shit before. Instead there are negotiators who don’t do shit and S.W.A.T. who spend most of their time picking their asses and their noses waiting for someone to tell them it’s okay to do their job.

He’s riding on thin ice though, so he does as he’s told. He pays attention to all the radio chatter, flipping back and forth between frequencies so he can keep an ear on the situation. His new partner doesn’t say anything and Cooper doesn’t bother to explain. He knows this guy’s a babysitter, not anyone regular, and at this point, Cooper’s pretty sure he’d look less in control if he didn’t give a shit about the guy that turned him in and rode beside him.

It’s all over by the end of his shift, and he’s hearing the congratulations and pats on the back and the big brass are talking medals that will never materialize. Cooper signs out and heads home, knowing that Sherman’s out there somewhere. The porch light is out, but it’s clear from the body huddled on his front steps that it’s been unscrewed, not that it’s not working. He can’t see Ben’s face until he’s at the foot of the stairs, looking up in the dim ghost of the moonlight. 

“You want to come in?”

Ben doesn’t answer, though he does screw the bulb back in before following John inside.


End file.
